vitrine · corridor · pairwise

1950s 1980s

Fact families the measure guard certifies comparable for this pair. Everything else renders as the gap it is. Every value links to its placard.

Rooms 1950s 1980s all corridors

A median home — affordability

1950s ↔ 1980s
not comparable for this pair — the hours axis needs a structured price and a verified wage anchor in both rooms — not yet curated for this pair

Infant mortality

deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births

1950s · Tier A
29.2 per 1,000 live births
1980s · Tier A
12.6 per 1,000 live births

Homeownership

% of occupied housing units owner-occupied

1950s · Tier A
55.0%
1980s · Tier A
64.4%

Complete plumbing

% of homes with complete plumbing

1950s · Tier A
64.5% of homes had complete plumbing (35.5% lacked)
1980s · Tier A
~97% of homes had complete plumbing (~3% lacked)

Telephone

% of households

⚠ 1910s–1930s sources counted telephones per 1,000 population, not households — those decades render as gaps rather than a unit splice.
⚠ The 2020s point counts cell phones (92.7%); the landline share is on the placard.
1950s · Tier A
Telephone: 61.8% of households (280.9 per 1,000 population). Automobile: registration data available but not asked in 1950 Census.
1980s · Tier A
92.9% (7.1% without telephone)

Women's unpaid home production

hours per week, prime-age women

⚠ The 2020s source (ATUS) measures all-adult household activities, a concept splice from Ramey's women's series — flagged, not smoothed, so the chart renders it as a gap and the placard carries both figures.
1950s · Tier C
41.5
1980s · Tier C
28.4

Men's unpaid home production

hours per week, prime-age men

1950s · Tier C
9.0
1980s · Tier C
13.9

Food's share of spending

% of household expenditure

⚠ Populations differ across the century — 1901 wage-earner families vs modern consumer units; every placard names who was measured.
⚠ The 1950s point is the nearest available survey (CEX 1960–61), stated plainly rather than back-cast.
1950s · Tier A
Food $1,309/yr (24.3% of expenditure), housing $1,594 (29.6%), food away from home $274, local telephone $69/yr. Total expenditure: $5,393.
1980s · Tier A
Food $4,706/yr (15.0% of expenditure). Food at home $2,900 (62% of food), food away from home $1,806 (38%). Key items: meats/poultry/fish/eggs $832, cereals/bakery $410, dairy $404, fruits/vegetables $425, beef $290, fresh milk $202. Total expenditure: $31,408.

Consumer Price Index

CPI-U level, 1982–84 = 100

1950s · Tier A
24.1
1980s · Tier A
CPI 82.4 (1980) → 313.7 (2024) = 3.8x. $1 in 1980 = $3.81 in 2024. Real median family income grew 1.32x.